This June I did a show in Santa Monica. My instincts told me the
last sale of the show was going to be trouble, but I did it, anyway.
Forgive the length of this, but I want to give all the details, so
that anyone wanting to respond can have the whole picture.
This person was looking for a gift for his girlfriend, and literally
walked the show and returned to my booth many times during the day,
to deliberate on whether or not this particular ring was the =93right=94
one. The next day he brought his daughter to help participate in the
decision. LITERALLY, all day, they kept coming back and spending 10
minutes each time they looked, discussed - on and on. FINALLY, in
the last hour of the show he made a decision and purchased a ring.
(My exhibitor neighbors were taking bets on whether this person would
actually buy or not!) It was an $800 cash sale (which included a
small discount)
As usual with rings as gifts, it was the wrong size, but they loved
the style. I told them I would re-weave another ring shank and give
them the same style for the top of the ring.
I projected a time frame to finish it, and was late. I had a
pinched nerve in my neck which kept me from being in the studio for
more than 1 hour at a time for over two weeks. (I=92m pretty much a
one-man-band). Then, of course, my show schedule was =93on=94, and I t=
old
him it would be another month due to my circumstances.
About 2-3 weeks after he received the ring, he called and told me
that it wasn=92t the same ring at all and he wanted his money back.
(Meanwhile, due to the detail on the top of the ring, in order to
save time, I took the top off of the original ringand will tell me it
was not the same (??). He=92s saying the detail on the top of the rin=
g
is not the same (??), and that the detail in the woven ring shank is
not the same (??).
He truly believes this is NOT like the original ring, which
completely confounds me, as I know it is. I do one-of-a-kind styles.
This particular ring was NOT my favorite, and I was so happy that he
purchased it!
I offered him a credit, but he only wants his money back. At this
time of year, I simply do not HAVE an extra $800 to through his way.
I=92ve already lost money on this project, if I consider my time worth
anything.
After several =93discussions=94 via the phone, he returned the ring vi=
a
registered mail (return receipt) after I told him that this, in NO
WAY, can be interpreted that I am accepting it as a return. He now
wants to resume =93discussions=94 again.
I really want to stand firm with this person - I feel taken
advantage of (and clearly, so does he). I=92ve been in business for
six years and have never had this problem.
I have another show in the same place at the beginning of November,
and know he will be there. I want to resolve this quickly, and I do
NOT want to bring this bad energy into my booth, or have him spread
it around.
My only mistake in this transaction, was that it took more time than
what was originally projected. (Actually, my real mistake was
taking his business in the first place, when my instincts told me it
would come back to bite me!).
What I find interesting, is that I=92ve discussed this with a few men,
and their immediate reaction is to just tell him =93too bad - that was
the deal=94. When I=92ve discussed it with a couple of women, they s=
aid
=93give him the money back - not worth the trouble=94.
Is it worth $800 to just make this go away, or should I stand firm
in the fact that he got the exact ring that he originally purchased?
I would appreciate a response from anyone who=92s had a similar
problem.
